Become A Better Communicator By Learning In Public
How feedback, not failure, builds confidence.
I was in one of these whacky new age shops and saw they were selling a bracelet that said it helps improve communication. You know, it would be nice if gaining communication skills were as easy as wearing a $12 magic bracelet and suddenly being able to give a Ted Talk. But it’s one of the most difficult skills to develop because it requires practicing in front of others—and that means failing very publicly.
Communication skills such as writing, speaking, and negotiating are crucial to finding success. And guess what? So is failure.
“Communication is the only task you cannot delegate.”
—Roberto Críspulo Goizueta, former Coca-Cola CEO
I always wondered how people get really good at speaking on a stage in front of thousands of people. It wasn’t until later in life I learned that every one of those people started off by improving their communication skills gradually; from the individual level, then to smaller groups, then larger groups, and so on.
Having ADHD comes with its own set of communication challenges. I tend to interrupt, have subpar active listening skills, and not to mention the rabbit trails.
Wait, what was I talking about?
Oh, right. So the way I improved my communication skills wasn't through taking expensive courses at a university or by wearing a magic bracelet.
It was by becoming a digital creator and forcing myself to fail in public.
As the saying goes, be brave enough to be at something new.
By no means have I even come close to mastering the art of communication. But to my surprise, after years of challenging myself, I started to earn income from expressing my ideas online.
While my writing journey has just begun, I've learned some important lessons along the way that might benefit you as well:
If your message resonates with one person, it will resonate with many others who are like that person.
Your unique way of communicating is what makes my ideas valuable, even if they had been expressed more effectively by someone else.
To improve your communication skills with others, engage in a constant dialogue with your thoughts in the form of writing.
As the great novelist E. M. Forster once said, “How can I know what I think until I see what I say?”
Writing is external thinking. If communication starts internally, the first step to expressing ideas is better through writing.
Ask questions
Seek answers
Evaluate evidence
Question your own assumptions
Argue against yourself
The pen is the most powerful weapon as a creative. It's used to inspire others, start movements, defend beliefs, spread the truth, and spark curiosity.
Writing and thinking are the skills that empower you to use that weapon effectively.
Don't just welcome feedback, seek it out to sharpen your writing skills.
Publishing your content online is the most effective way to test your ideas. Even negative feedback contributes to improving your communication skills because it provides valuable real-time insights on what is not resonating with your audience.
That is how you turn failing in public into learning in public. Your audience in the digital world is real but invisible, making it a much less stressful than speaking on a stage in front of thousands of strangers.
Leverage the feedback of your invisible online audience to validate your ideas and gain the confidence to express them in person.
In the meantime, stay curious my friend.
Whenever you’re ready, here’s 3 ways I can help:
1. Flow Vault Pro for Obsidian: Get a complete writing OS in Obsidian with a don-for-you Luhmann style zettelkasten.
2. Zettel Monetizer Course: Become a synthesizer and monetize your note-making with a Substack newsletter powered by your zettelkasten.
3. Book a call to work with me and turn chaos into creative clarity.