This post was written by Lauren St. Germain, Facilitator and Coach for The Latimer Group.
If you’ve ever taken one of our workshops, you know this: we cover a lot of information.
We challenge you with new mindsets, equip you with new toolsets and teach you new skillsets.
And we do this intentionally. We want to share all our best strategies (collected over our 20+ years in business) so you can become the most persuasive, influential communicator.
But we also acknowledge that a commitment to any kind of skill development can feel overwhelming. Especially if you’re learning a set of new strategies for the first time.
I understand that overwhelm because I’ve been there. I’m a learner at heart! And today, I want to offer a bit of encouragement and share three ways I personally get grounded anytime I am learning something new and working to implement it into my life:
- Start with one thing. While this advice may seem simple, it’s often hard for the high-achieving individual who is invested in their growth and cares deeply about their professional development. So let this be your reminder that starting with just one thing and focusing on using just one of the new frameworks or strategies you learned is going to pay big dividends. Ask yourself what’s most important to you and start there. Take small steps forward, every day.
- Adopt a growth mindset. When we’re learning something new, it’s easy to put pressure on ourselves to be further along in our journey that we are. But you need to get anchored in this truth: everything you know now is something you didn’t know once before. You learned it. You honed your craft. You developed your skills. Remember that you can learn something new, and, with practice, it will simply become a part of who you are.
- Be in community with others. At the end of our workshops, I always make this suggestion: lean on one another. Whether you’re testing out a new strategy for drawing in your audience with an opening story or practicing a new delivery technique in an upcoming presentation, tell your trusted colleagues in the room (either privately beforehand or openly during, depending on the situation). Let them know what you’re working on, solicit feedback, and offer to do the same for them. We are more likely to succeed when we’re in community with others, pursuing the same goals.
Your professional development journey is one you must stay committed to. Use these three reminders to keep you motivated and keep you moving forward, even on the days it feels hard.
Now tell us: what is the one thing you want to commit to so you can develop stronger, more influential communication skills? We want to hear it and we want to celebrate you!
Does your team:
– Overwhelm the audience with too much detail?
– Make things too complicated?
– Fail to ask for what they want or need?
Does your organization:
– Waste time because of poor internal communication?
– Take too long to make decisions?
– Struggle to clarify and frame discussions?
Do your leaders:
– Exhibit poor executive presence?
– Lean on incomplete communication skills?
– Fail to align the organization?
We transform teams and individuals with repeatable toolsets for persuasive communication. Explore training, coaching, and consulting services from The Latimer Group.
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