“If you want to be truly understood, you need to say everything three times, in three different ways. One for each ear…and one for the heart.”
~Paula Underwood Spencer
One of my happiest moments was when I finally got up on a slalom waterski. If you’ve ever done it, you know how frustrating it is to try, fall, wait for the boat to circle around so you can try again…and in my case again and again.
Possibly more frustrating than that is to be in the boat waiting for your turn. The folks on the boat become great instructors, yelling ‘cues’ off the back of the boat. I’ll never forget the person who yelled “Keep your ponytail in the water!” That was the one I needed. I tipped my head back, did all the other necessary positioning, said HIT IT! and up I went.
I pass this on to new teachers. We need to learn several ways to say what it is that we want our students to do. We need to say it in their language, and into their listening. Simply repeating the same words over and over doesn’t work.
True conversation, to and from the heart, requires both speaker and listener to try several times to get at what really matters. Today, in the conversations with those closest to you, try getting at the heart of what really matters. Say it, say it again and say it again. This time from (and for) the heart.
HIT IT!
