ENGAGING THOUGHT
Have you ever been the bearer of bad news? That's horrible, isn't it? What about having the opportunity to share really good news? Why is it that spreading good news is so much easier than sharing bad news? Is it just because of the nature of what we are sharing, or could it also be that we have an idea of what to anticipate from the other person?
As parents of four kids that are very close in age, my wife and I often had to coach our kids ahead of time when one of them had accomplished something and couldn't wait to share it. One of the kids (usually a younger sibling) would run out ahead and blurt out the news before the one who's story it really was had a chance to share it themselves. Many times resulting in tears at the loss of an anticipated opportunity to spread good news. "Stealing-thunder" could be an Olympic event where siblings are concerned.
Either way - good news or bad - what's really happening in these circumstances is that we're anticipating another person's reaction to what we have to share. It may not be the nature of what we are communicating that gives us the hesitation - it is often what we think their reaction or response will be that gives us the pause. We can certainly use this phenomena to our advantage when it comes to sharing our commitment to pursuing God's DREAM for our lives.
How we communicate the DREAM to different individuals could make all the difference in the world when it comes to eliciting their participation or support. You'll want to carefully consider the personality and temperament of someone you're trying to bring to an understanding of just what it is you are committing yourself to. There is no room in this task of communicating the DREAM for a one-size-fits-all approach. Some will simply not get what you are trying to share with them and it may not be that they disagree or refuse to believe you - it could be that you just didn't hit their communication style.
A few days ago we looked at how easy it is to be misunderstood (Day 24) as we articulate the DREAM, now we need to up the ante a bit and take initiative when it comes to communicating the DREAM to those who matter most: our stakeholders. This shouldn't come as a shock (I hope): each of your stakeholders is a person. That means they each have unique personalities, unique styles, and unique ways of receiving information. It isn't enough to just be aware of this - you need to be familiar with the communication needs of each of your stakeholders so you can meet them where they are. Some will need you to sit down with the written plan and walk them through it; others just need you to give them the high-points; still others won't buy into the DREAM until you've presented it five different times. You can get frustrated by this or you can take ownership of this.
You have the chance to communicate the single most important piece of news in your life (that you are committed to discover, pursue, and live God's DREAM for your life) to different people, many of whom may be the most important people in your life. Are you comfortable with a casual, whatever-happens-happens approach, or would you rather anticipate how each of those persons would best receive what you have to share? Use those insights to your advantage.
As parents of four kids that are very close in age, my wife and I often had to coach our kids ahead of time when one of them had accomplished something and couldn't wait to share it. One of the kids (usually a younger sibling) would run out ahead and blurt out the news before the one who's story it really was had a chance to share it themselves. Many times resulting in tears at the loss of an anticipated opportunity to spread good news. "Stealing-thunder" could be an Olympic event where siblings are concerned.
Either way - good news or bad - what's really happening in these circumstances is that we're anticipating another person's reaction to what we have to share. It may not be the nature of what we are communicating that gives us the hesitation - it is often what we think their reaction or response will be that gives us the pause. We can certainly use this phenomena to our advantage when it comes to sharing our commitment to pursuing God's DREAM for our lives.
How we communicate the DREAM to different individuals could make all the difference in the world when it comes to eliciting their participation or support. You'll want to carefully consider the personality and temperament of someone you're trying to bring to an understanding of just what it is you are committing yourself to. There is no room in this task of communicating the DREAM for a one-size-fits-all approach. Some will simply not get what you are trying to share with them and it may not be that they disagree or refuse to believe you - it could be that you just didn't hit their communication style.
A few days ago we looked at how easy it is to be misunderstood (Day 24) as we articulate the DREAM, now we need to up the ante a bit and take initiative when it comes to communicating the DREAM to those who matter most: our stakeholders. This shouldn't come as a shock (I hope): each of your stakeholders is a person. That means they each have unique personalities, unique styles, and unique ways of receiving information. It isn't enough to just be aware of this - you need to be familiar with the communication needs of each of your stakeholders so you can meet them where they are. Some will need you to sit down with the written plan and walk them through it; others just need you to give them the high-points; still others won't buy into the DREAM until you've presented it five different times. You can get frustrated by this or you can take ownership of this.
You have the chance to communicate the single most important piece of news in your life (that you are committed to discover, pursue, and live God's DREAM for your life) to different people, many of whom may be the most important people in your life. Are you comfortable with a casual, whatever-happens-happens approach, or would you rather anticipate how each of those persons would best receive what you have to share? Use those insights to your advantage.
ACTION STEP
Today's ACTION STEP is relatively simple to put down on paper, but definitely more difficult to put into action - but you can do it!
Take your list of stakeholders from yesterday and, for each one, write down how you intend to share with them your commitment to pursuing God's DREAM for your life. Take into account what you know of them and their unique personality (how they best receive information, when they are least distracted, etc.) and what level of involvement you anticipate them having.
As you'll soon discover, putting it on paper is easy - daring to put it into action and actually communicating with them is much harder. Take the initiative and do it - you'll soon have a group of fans and supporters in your DREAM-pursuit!
Take your list of stakeholders from yesterday and, for each one, write down how you intend to share with them your commitment to pursuing God's DREAM for your life. Take into account what you know of them and their unique personality (how they best receive information, when they are least distracted, etc.) and what level of involvement you anticipate them having.
As you'll soon discover, putting it on paper is easy - daring to put it into action and actually communicating with them is much harder. Take the initiative and do it - you'll soon have a group of fans and supporters in your DREAM-pursuit!
Tomorrow we consider who can help lead us along in the process.
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