Hughs Blog

Get uncomfortable!

I’m about to pack up and head home from the National Speakers Association convention in Phoenix this morning. My daughters are with me and were part of the youth convention and it was great fun to share this experience with them. Couple of lessons as takeaways:
Get uncomfortable. For four days I have been watching people at this huge convention (there are some 1,300 delegates) sitting on their own, sitting with their buddies and schmoozing with people they work with or came with. Why come all the way to Phoenix (let’s face it you don’t come to Phoenix in July unless it’s for a convention) and then hang out with people you already know so they can tell you what you already know?
My approach has always been to find the table where I don’t know anyone and then ask a lot of questions. Just at this convention I met a speaker that went from a stress induced coma to health again, two wanna-be’s and one new author, an organizational development consultant I could collaborate with and I shared thoughts about travelling with your children to events like this with no fewer than five other parents who have children at the convention. And this was just yesterday!
When you stay comfortable you get what you always got; get uncomfortable, meet new people, take a risk and see where it gets you.
Second lesson, or reminder, is ask, don’t tell. When meeting new people there is the temptation to talk about yourself a lot. You don’t learn anything if you are always talking about yourself. Ask: Ask where they are from, do they have kids? Are they in business? What are they planning on doing differently this year in their business? Take every response and simply turn it into another question. It’s pretty simple technique and it reaps huge rewards: they have the pleasure of talking about themselves and you learn more about them. You also appear to them as interested – and that always trumps arrogance and being self centred.
What are you doing today to get uncomfortable?

Tags: culver