First things first. I must start this blog by saying that I am very thankful and pleased with the opportunity Tonnisha has provided me with! This is my first internship and I actually feel of importance to the company. In fact the only thing I knew about interns before this is the phrase, ‘in turn’…OK that was a corny joke. But seriously, I’m a rookie at this, and I appreciate her taking a chance with me.
I spent some time thinking about what my first blog post would entail. As I was brainstorming ideas, it just hit me! Instead of thinking about what I should say, I should think about what I shouldn’t say.
Many of you reading this might have just read that last sentence and said to yourself, ”Wait, what?”
Hear me out..
When it comes to verbal or written communication, the whole point is to have an impact on the audience. Whether you are a public speaker or a kid trying to convince his mom to let him have a cookie before dinner, your argument must be very convincing and memorable. To do this effectively, avoid focusing on saying the right thing, and shift focus on not saying the wrong thing.
See where I’m going with this?
Think about parallel parking. When parallel parking, you don’t focus on where the other cars are, you look at where they are not. This allows you to pinpoint just the exact angle to turn the wheel to safely park your car.
Still don’t get it?
It is impossible to focus on the car in front of you and behind you at the same time. If you tried, you would probably crash into one of them. By focusing on where the cars are not, you are giving yourself a better chance of parking successfully. Why? Because you are focusing on the opportunity of the open parking space more than the full spaces.
Every action on behalf of a company will have a positive or negative reaction. Often times we focus more on what everyone else is doing or saying and miss out on open opportunities to be innovative.
What is the right thing to say? Who knows! But what not to say is what everyone else is saying. Take advantage of open parking spots to fill. Here is where you will have the opportunity to create the new standard.
Hopefully, this post will be just as entertaining and intriguing to read, as it was to write! And of course – informative.
Until next time,
Dez, Media & Communications Intern