As you might already know, I'm in the process of writing a book about communicating sustainability.
I was initially scared that I was going to teach grandma to suck eggs, talking about listening and not interrupting and the lot.
But then I realised that, in my own life, lots of negative stuff came directly from not communicating properly.
I knew (in theory) that I needed to allow the other person to finish before I shared my ideas. I saw other people doing this perfect dance of not interrupting each other in podcasts and interviews.
Why would my mind race to finish someone else's phrase or jump to conclusions about their point?
I then realised I was starting from the wrong assumption that I knew more than the person in front of me. Not consciously but still...
That it was a race to say "the right thing" as soon as possible and prove someone else wrong.
I learned from my mistakes over the years, so my book has a different flavour now.
It focuses on the mindset of sustainability professionals and leaders who want to make a difference.
It attempts to shift the reader's mindset from "I'm the expert here" to "Let's work together to achieve both our goals".
Communication is ultimately an act of co-creation, a powerful and necessary way to harmonise the ideas of different people and find creative and effective ways (much more creative than having just one person thinking about them) to address the climate crisis and other sustainability issues.
Do you have the same issues when communicating your messages?
If so, do share them with me by hitting "reply", I'm collecting examples and experiences of real people to put in the book.
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