“The best way out is always through.”

– Robert Frost
  American Poet
  (1874 –1963)
 
We could resolve the deficit – if we had a dollar (and they say there’s no inflation…) for every time someone has said, “I just want to get to the meat; the good stuff – the sweet spot – the payoff! I want to get busy and write this presentation!”

So with unbridled enthusiasm, they rush to put ideas on paper. And then – the crash – all the details the mind can conceive rush into the vacuum created by thinking: “What shall I say?” Then the task of making sense out of this “Idea Soup.” Of course, without intellectual boundaries; any idea is reasonable. Editing however; requires some limitations – a desired outcome for example; and a sense of who is listening. This may be why composing is so difficult: it requires the writer to submit willingly to limitation.

“Ready, Set, Go!®” originated to help the speaker circumvent the “data avalanche” that accompanies composition. The first step: Establish an Objective. Why are you speaking? Certainly not to hear yourself talk – but to bring about a result in the form of a listener response! This is business – we’re looking for outcomes!

Second; Who is listening? What are their concerns, their reasons for taking action? You’ve got to Analyze the Audience, and arrive at the main idea that will move them to action.

Now, and only now, should you start Organizing Remarks.

It’s a process. Follow – and it will set you free. And you’ll get some sleep. The way out isn’t over, around, or under; but directly through!  “Ready, Set, Go!”

"What Constitutes 'Intelligence'?"

“The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. Instead, they must be felt with the heart.”
 
– Helen Keller
Author, Activist, Lecturer
(1880 –1968)  

AP Photo Courtesy of the Thaxter P. Spencer Collection
R. Stanton Avery Special Collections
New England Historic Genealogical Society-Boston



We live in a period in which the text oriented communicators dominate the cultural conversation about “What constitutes 'Intelligence'?” At the same time, technology is evolving so quickly that communicating exclusively in text seems remarkably limited.

Current discussions about “whole brain/Holistic” communication suggest that a deeper, more substantial intelligence relies on “the combination of text and context” to make a more complete, rational and ethical choice.

As a speaker, it’s wise to realize that your audience will always contain a mixture of thinking types. Those who prefer text, those who respond to images; and those who prefer to sense or intuit the intentions of the speaker. A well rounded presentation contains a clear, logical argument, augmented with carefully selected images which align with and underscore the key ideas, and sufficient pauses in the delivery to allow people to “connect with the intentions between the lines.”

Fusion's perspective: It’s not an “either/or” question, but a combination question. “How can I present my ideas in ways that appeal to all thinking styles?”

Baby Steps

Lost in Rugby, England, Dwight Morrow and his wife, the parents of Anne Lindbergh, wandered through the streets for hours. He stopped a little Rugby lad of about 12 years. "Could you tell us the way to the station?" he asked.

"Well," the boy answered, "You turn to the right there by the grocer's shop and then take the second street to the left. That will bring you to a place where four streets meet. And then, sir, you had better inquire again."


Being Stuck… Being Lost… Being Uncertain…

The life of a Chief Executive. People may say something different in public, but in private, we all know that much of the time we’re hoping our gambles pay off or wash out quickly so we can reverse course before all is lost. The real work of the leader is to push so far out over the bow that if there’s a collision with reality, the first contact will be with the end of your nose, at least then you can react quickly enough to spare most of the ship. And it continues to be the single largest issue in our Executive counsel work... “How do I decide? How do I resolve this impasse? What is the right thing to do?” Yet, Life is murky.

Our suggestion is to take the counsel of that little Rugby lad, and move ahead; anticipating the chance to take a sighting and set a new course in due time. Perhaps the best indication of a rational management approach is to avoid the nagging desire for a clear decision or a complete vindication on something and find a way to “move off the dime” and take a positive step. None of our work is done in an instant, and major improvements often take an entire career.

There’s no way to know immediately if it’s right, or wrong. But if you wait, “hung up on maybe;” it’s for sure the view won’t change.

Baby Steps. Decide. Move. Do a little; check your bearings. Do a little more. Keep on. Take a sounding. Look out for the bump – Change Course.

Come to the place where four roads meet … and inquire again.