The Art Of Speaking Into People

There have been two different concepts I have been captivated by. One is probably obvious by now, identity. The other is the concept of being spoken into. I don’t think I am being overdramatic when I say it may be our life’s work to understand and live out these two concepts.

Today though, I want to do a short reflection on being spoken into. First, a quick made up definition of what it means: When someone recognizes traits, truth, and attributes about another person's identity and communicates that clearly to that person. Words are powerful. The right words to the right person at the right time can change the world.

I’m lucky to have multiple people in my life who are what I like to call Jedi Masters at speaking into people. Here is what I have found about people who reach this level:

1. They have a clear understanding of their identity so what they say is never about them or a projection.

2. It’s rarely advice, it’s a recognition of what is inside of you that will lead the way to a solution.

3. It’s 90% positive. There is a time to recognize bad traits. However, I think a Jedi Master knows the person is aware of the bad traits and they are trying to get you to believe in all the good traits you are ignoring. My guess is Jedi Masters don’t spend a lot of time with people who are consistently unaware of their bad traits.

My challenge today, if you have someone like this in your life, thank them. The second is to do everything in your power to become like them. I will admit I am in my awkward teenage phase right now when it comes to this on a personal level. It can be uncomfortable to speak into someone and sometimes it is difficult to articulate, but I’m trying. People need to be spoken into. I truly believe it can change the world.

Shifting gears: Brands need to be spoken into as well. We actually take this concept and use it at our Perception Labs. We do a quick Jedi master training session (so people know the rules of how to speak into brands) and you get to see yours spoken into by the people in the room. Just like doing it on a personal level can change the world, this can change the way you view your brand.