ONE Incredible Insight To Change The Way You Communicate
While I was facilitating a leadership coaching session, I came to know about a thought-provoking incident. This gave me an incredible insight that I would love to share with you.
Two widows started to live together in the same household with their children and grandchildren. The women’s children were married to each other. {That is, they were the paternal and maternal grandmothers of the grandchildren of the household.} The two ladies grew close to each other and became the best of friends.
People said, “It’s strange that mothers-in-law from the two sides of a marriage can become such close friends!” They did many things together — shopping, walking, and sharing their stories with each other. It was a happy time for everybody to watch them.
Then, the situation changed.
When the two ladies advanced in age they both had Alzheimer’s disease that erased their memories. They did not recognize each other or anyone else. They even forgot all their daily routines and needed a full-time assistant to just get by each day. It was painful for the household to witness their condition, isolation, and deterioration of their mental faculties.
What happened later was even more tragic and surprising!
A few years later, one of the ladies passed away. As the funeral proceedings were going on, something strange happened that surprised everyone!
The surviving elderly woman started to cry inconsolably. “Is she aware of what’s going on?” Everybody was shocked. “How can she forget everything and still remember her connection to her departed friend?”
This highlights the importance of emotional connections. Our shared experiences make invisible connections with the people we share our experiences with.
We make invisible connections with the people we share our experiences with.
This incident provides two invaluable lessons to change the way we communicate as leaders.
- As Mary Angelou “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
- The emotional connections you make with your listeners can even survive the degradation of their cognitive abilities. Remember to watch what you say and how you say it. Are you able to emotionally resonate with your listeners? Do your words have velocity? Does it stick?
Are you able to emotionally resonate with your listeners? Do your words have velocity? Does it stick?
Call To Action:
This highlights the importance for you as a leader to communicate using stories, narratives, and sharing of your experiences. This will completely transform the impact and influence you have on your peers, superiors, and your team. You can also get more done in less time. If you see yourself as a leader who can benefit from this vital skill, visit Business Storytelling and Leadership Narratives(BSP) or Confident Speaker Program
Manoj Vasudevan is Next Level Leadership Readiness expert, management consultant, and the World Champion of Public Speaking. He helps executives and entrepreneurs to break through to the Next Level in career and life. Manoj is known for his expertise in simplifying complex topics into practical strategies. He is the CEO of Thought Expressions and holds an MBA from Imperial College, London. His books include the international bestseller Mastering Leadership The Mousetrap Way. He speaks at international conferences, multinational companies, universities, and around the world. As a coach, Manoj has proven track record in personal transformation and breakthroughs. CEOs, Senior Executives, UN Diplomats, Celebrities & Professionals from over 50 nationalities have benefited from Manoj’s coaching. To contact the author click here.
