Sometimes, until we see someone else do something, we presume it must be done a certain way. Our assumptions are often wrong. My laptop’s power cord has always been a pain to deal with. In addition to the inevitable “Low Battery. Switch to AC power immediately.” warning that comes at the most inopportune times, the cord itself seems to always be horrifically long or too short. I’ve tripped over it innumerable times. It has an attached bungee cord to help secure the cord, but it has never been particularly useful to me. Until now… after watching someone else wrap the cord. I always wrapped the cord around the adaptor the short way. Turns out, it you wrap it the long way, it wraps more compactly, and the bungee works just swimmingly. It’s embarassing that I couldn’t have figured that out before now.In helping folks with their presentations, we often have similar moments. Folks just never have thought through some simple things that make life easier. Location of the clock, arrangement of the room, movement of the speaker, organization of handouts, audience participation, inclusion of stories — these are just a smattering of things that I’ve had folks tell me have revolutionized the way they think about communicating to a public audience. But few of us possess the ability to see these things by ourselves. Our way of thinking — which is not inherrently wrong — just prevents us from seeing an easier/better way.
Get another perspective on the obvious things that can simplify life and communication.
