18.05.2023
THE THREE THINGS ON WHICH YOUR SUCCESS DEPENDS
Before he passed away, beloved MIT professor Patrick Winston regularly gave a compelling lecture to students about the value of good communication. In his introduction, he drew attention to the Uniform Code of Military Justice in the United States, which provides for the court-martial of any officer who sends a soldier into battle without a weapon.
Winston said there should be similar protections for students and even entrepreneurs and aspiring business owners. According to him, no one should go through life without being armed with the ability to communicate properly.
"Your success in life will be largely determined by your ability to speak, your ability to write, and the quality of your ideas, in that order," he said.
Winston, who was a pioneer in the field of artificial intelligence, knew the power of emotional intelligence. While he recognized the value of brilliant ideas, he placed even greater importance on the ability to communicate those ideas in an impactful way.
The ability to speak
The best speakers know how to inform, persuade and guide their listeners. They speak with confidence and conviction. In turn, they motivate their audience to take action. So how can you improve your speaking ability? Here are three tips that can help you in this endeavor:
If you have very extensive knowledge on a given topic, you can easily deliver a completely incomprehensible speech to a more unprepared audience. However, if your audience is well-informed about the subject, then you can easily bore them. That's why it's important to ask yourself, “How knowledgeable is my audience about this topic?” If you can tailor what you're saying specifically to your audience, you'll maximize your impact.
No one's interest will be piqued by what you have to say unless you yourself are enthusiastic about the subject. Think about what role this topic plays in your life and what value it has for others. Practice talking about it out loud. And if you're the type of person who gets nervous when talking to others, try to turn that nervousness into enthusiasm.
The problem with passion and enthusiasm is that they make you talk faster. Here again we come back to the specifics of your audience. You need to slow down to the point that what you say is understandable (If you watch a lecture by Professor Winston you will see that he speaks at a very slow, very deliberate pace).
Deliberately practice slowing down when you speak. Record yourself when you are in meetings or giving a presentation, and then listen and analyze what you said. If you find yourself speaking too fast, try taking more pauses while you speak. For example, if you ask a rhetorical question, you might pause and silently count to three before continuing. Or, if you're asking a direct question, make a conscious effort to wait until you get a response from the other party.
Finally, use phrases like "in other words" and "simply put" to reiterate key points in a way that's easy to understand.
The ability to write
Jeff Bezos conducts CEO meetings based on narrative-style memos that take several associates a week or more to write. Jason Freed, founder and CEO of Basecamp, says that at the company, they make all hiring decisions—from programmers and designers to marketers and receptionists—based on a candidate's writing ability. Why? Because clear writing indicates clear thinking.
The written word has a special power. It can be taken at your own pace. It can be continuously improved and improved. It influences and motivates. And as more and more jobs offer the option of remote work, the ability to communicate in writing in a concise and easy-to-understand manner becomes increasingly important.
How can you improve your writing skills? Well… by writing.
Many experienced copywriters have started their careers with an exercise that involves copying the work of other great copywriters. This works because when you write, you can't help but slow down and think. This helps you absorb what you've written while enhancing your own skills. Over time, you create your own style while borrowing from the best practices of others.
You can do the same. Is there a website you really like? Copy a text from it, word for word. Then try to do it again – this time with your own product or service in mind, but using the same writing style.
The quality of your ideas
The ability to generate high-quality ideas begins first with consuming high-quality ideas. Begin by studying great thinkers and reflecting on their discoveries. Make connections between what they discovered and what you have learned in your own life.
Then focus on ideas that solve real-world problems. Instead of waiting for inspiration to strike, strike while the iron is hot. When you have a problem that you've just solved (or are trying to solve), record your work process and the progress you've made. This will help you build on previous thinking foundations and increase the quality of your ideas.
Now you need to take time for deep work. This means regularly setting aside time for creative thinking and brainstorming. Focus on one task or idea at a time until it is completed or until you have made significant progress. Finally, don't underestimate the power of a walk that can boost your brain's dopamine levels as well as your creative thinking abilities.
If you want to increase your chances of success, remember the advice of the late Patrick Winston: "Don't go into battle without your weapon." Practice speaking, writing, and thinking, and use the process described so far to improve each of these abilities.
