Sounding board
You know it has happened before and can happen again. You get this great idea and are eager to share it. But just as you impart it to someone else, that is when it no longer sounds right? There have even been times when you truly believe an idea has great potential and yet it did not go over well for unknown reasons.
Most situations are not so critical that you risk a debacle but there are times when such a gaffe can backfire. Contrary to common belief, you can fix stupid, so long as you fix it before it gets out where it can do damage.
As a life coach, I appreciate that this happens to all capable, intelligent people. It can even be endearingly funny when you do it with friends. I've had a few such moments myself.
But you can improve your effectiveness when conveying critical ideas if you give them a test run. Bounce the idea off of an experienced confidential sounding board. There is no risk for flubbing the test run and you get to work out a better way of getting your critical idea accross.
The professional sounding board has learned to appreciate specialized language even when they are not an expert in your field. They also develop the ability to spot unworkable communication assumptions that can easily plague boundaries between social groups or department levels.
Albert Einstein once said, "We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.” One way to freshen our thinking is to use a good sounding board every once in a while.
I am available at half my standard session rate to focus on listening to your ideas for 20 to 25 minutes and, if you want it, returning constructive feedback.
You can sound out in writing, by audio or video recording, face to face, Skype or over the telephone. You chose the method that most closely resembles the situation when it counts. Being a professional sounding board obviously requires that I keep your ideas and identifying information strictly confidential.
"We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are." ~ Anaïs Nin
