Name It

Practice makes perfect. We have all heard this a time or five. The reality is, the more we practice something, the more we own it.

One of my favorite things to practice is having a conversation. So much learning takes place in a conversation it is important to me to make sure I own this skill. Much of the success or advancement of a conversation is a direct result of honing specific components within each dialog. Conversations are about asking questions, listening, participating. They are about exchanging ideas and being present. It's seeing something and saying something. Needless to say there is a lot to a conversation and its hard work to have a really good one. One of the most underrated pieces of a conversation is the name it component.

To see it is one thing. To name it is completely separate. Naming isn't just describing or telling, illustrating or explaining something. Naming is specific, your very own definition of what is happening through your lens. Naming is your words not your bosses or some fancy lingo you got from the company website. Naming it isn't calling out some buzzword or corporate slogan but a real authentic description of what is actual. Naming is content of what you see and the context of who you see it with.

We underestimate how powerful this single component can have on a conversation. Naming it is so crucial to uncovering what happens next, creating ownership and accountability, and giving you a platform to build on.  Practice this single skill over the phone, on your sales floor, or with your kids. Take 20 minutes to name what is happening around you. View your surroundings through a new, unfiltered lens. Giving life to the world around you.

The result of your findings will amaze you.

Your ideas, thoughts and actions will be different.

Your conversations will forever change.

How you see the world has officially been altered.