Reduce the static to engage with others…

I talk about it all the time. Sometimes the picture we draw (with words, actions or images) isn’t telling the story we think it is. You’ll never know how you’re coming across to others if you don’t draw on the wisdom of people with diverse perspectives. 

When I left my marketplace job in 2002 to join the staff team at Granger, I had a wealth of experience, tools and tricks at my disposal. But, even with all the right skills, education and knowledge, I couldn’t gain traction. My ministry and my communication effectiveness was in serious stall mode. Sure, I got some stand alone killer projects done. But, my ideas weren’t spreading and I had very little (to no) influence.

In Making Ideas Happen, Belsky lands on the culprit.

• Connecting with people across the spectrum requires us to stay connected to the needs and beliefs of those around us. This becomes more challenging when we get lost in our own creative pursuits.
• A community sourced from just one stop along the frequency spectrum can prove damaging. Without some degree of mass appeal, most ideas will falter.

Things turned around for me when I realized that, while my intentions were good, my M.O. needed an adjustment. I was overestimating WHAT I had to get done and underestimating HOW it was going to affect others. Essentially, I was my own communications roadblock.

Sometimes I’m the last person to know how I’m coming across to others. I’m trucking along TOTALLY CONFIDENT my efforts will produce an A grade, but I’m completely unaware that everyone around me is using a different grading scale. I can’t see that myself. Nobody can see it in themselves. I changed my M.O. and never looked back. 

I am exponentially more effective when I learn from people who see and think differently than me.

Comments

[Chuck]

Kem...
I'd love to hear some of the ways you changed your M.O. to become more effective as well. Thanks!

[David, justopenthebook.com]

Thanks for highlighting a tough issue. Sometimes it's easy to get lost in a flurry of great ideas and plans before realizing that the connection with the audience is the key. Ours is a totally online audience - any ideas on how to generate some feedback from them?

[Matt Owens]

Thank you, Kem. This is just what I needed to hear after a frustrating past couple weeks. I've been unclear on who my audience is until I met with one of my leaders and asked to acquaint me with the history of the church and how things have changed more recently. It's not the audience I prefer to speak to, but for some reason God has entrusted me to communicate with them.

[Jeff]

Kem...thanks for your thoughts on this. I've been thinking specifically about how I communicate lately. You mention changing your MO. What are some specific ways you've changed to become more effective?

[Andre Ivanchuk]

The simple "AUDIENCE" question at the Brief is underrated and very often overlooked. It's a matter of creating according to our own drives, or the needs of others.

Thx for sharing Kem!