Years ago, I was visiting with friends. I chose to cook dinner for everyone. I was dicing tomatoes for a salad. The tomatoes were ripe. The knife was dull. I had a mess on my hands. The tomatoes crushed under the force of the dull blade. My tomatoes did not obey me. They did not follow along with the plan! Rather than becoming neat little cubes, they became a collection of crushed and bruised pieces. I was frustrated. I’m sure the tomatoes were frustrated. The tomatoes weren’t doing what I wanted them to do. And what tomato likes to get bludgeoned? We weren’t working well together.
A knife is sharp when it’s edge is focused. When we sharpen the edge, the knife transfers energy to a precise point. The sharper, more focused the point, the more effectively the energy is transferred. A focused point allows a knife to cut effectively. A dull knife will crush our tomatoes under the blunt force of the blade. A sharp blade will deliver focused energy to our tomatoes. The tomatoes will take the shape you desire willingly without resistance.
Communication works the same way … A message is only as powerful as it is focused.
An unfocused and dull message leaves an audience pushed around, beat down or crushed – Ever seen a presentation or meeting that has no point?
A sharp and focused message transfers energy to our audience. It has the power to move them … the audience knows how to respond.
Are you frustrated with the tomatoes you work and live with not going along with the plan? We say, “If only they would listen!”
You might be crushing the tomatoes. Could it be time to sharpen your message?
