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It’s Hard to See Roadblocks You Put In Your Own Way

When you can see the obstacle for what it really is – a lie you’re telling yourself – it is removable.

I know this, because as a news reporter I was terrified of barging through closed doors into meetings already in progress.

Being late was not unusual for my job – occasionally I’d be arriving from some other event I had to cover. But even though I knew nobody would mind that I was there – since the participants generally wanted news of their work gotten out to stakeholders – I still was paralyzed with fear of walking in and disrupting the proceedings.

In my mind I saw them turning and looking at me as I entered the room. I could picture them disapproving of my presence and being angry with me.

Click on the picture below to find out how to get rid of your mental roadblocks!

Audiences Won’t Buy Into Your Ideas If They Don’t Respect You

When I was writing for an English-language newspaper that covered the Chinese experience in America, I took the initiative to learn Pinyin - the writing of Chinese in English letters - so I could pronounce and discuss Chinese names and places in my work. ????

I wanted the Chinese professionals, government officials and academics I interviewed for in-depth business articles and news pieces in New York, Boston and Detroit and globally over the phone to trust me so they would open up to me.

Showing I at least knew how to correctly say names like Zhou (Joe), Xin (Sheen), and Qiao (Chee-ow), and place names like Guangzhou (Gwangh-joe) and Chongqing (Chohng-Cheeng) gave me a boost in prevailing in that job - despite my not knowing how to speak Mandarin.

Do you show the audience respect by figuring out in advance what they want and need to hear from you to feel satisfied, when you communicate with them?

The more you get them to feel, “Yeah, she’s one of us,” the farther you will go in getting them to embrace your idea or offer.

Mathilda, an Emerging Us Hospital Administrator, Had the Goods to Be Great. But She Was Self-Conscious about Her German Accent

Though her command of English was superior, she still lost confidence whenever she would talk with a native English speaker face-to-face.?

She’d interact and talk freely on a business messaging app, like Slack, but in person, she lacked the interactions and idea-sharing she showcased online.

Speaking to groups of stakeholders on important topics such as patient satisfaction, employee engagement and profitability, was especially painful for her because of her undue awareness of the way she pronounced English words.

If you are in a similar situation, click on the picture below to find out more on how I helped Mathilda find her voice and how I can help you find yours!

MICHAEL'S MOTIVATING MISSIVE

Despite its reputation, positive thinking isn't all that powerful.

Not without a positive ACTION to accompany it.

So if self-doubt holds you back from taking a self-improvement program, the cure isn't simply to embrace a positive mindset.

It's to act.

THANKS FOR SPENDING TIME READING THIS NEWSLETTER! LET ME KNOW HOW YOU LIKED IT.

And remember, as the US business consultant and author Price Pritchett says: "If you must doubt something, doubt your limits."

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