Who Are You Talking To?

I write a lot, and so do some of my friends. We also find ourselves in front of many audiences for public speaking events or performances. Depending on the audience, sometimes I change the words I use to make sure the message I’ve come to give has a better chance of landing in the ears of the listeners.

For those of us who feel that we have been given a message to deliver, language is simply a tool. It can be artistic (in the way a poem is), functional (in the way a manual is), academic (in the way scholarly books are), raw (in the way emotional friends can be), or jive (in the way hustlers are). The two things that matter for the messenger are the message and the listener.

As a messenger we should know our message. Clearly, completely, fully, and without question. Our message should be ingrained in our heart. The next learning is to know our listener. What has their life been like? What questions are they holding? What burdens are they carrying? Learn them and we will find our message might be carried closer to their heart than if we were strangers.