Effective communication is at the heart of so many successful projects, relationships, and endeavors. Given its magical ability to make things happen, we thought it would be helpful to bring some of the best communicators we know together to share their stories and insights around how they developed their ability to communicate effectively.

Žana

How I Developed My Ability to Communicate Effectively

Communication is such a vast and nuanced art, but for me, it all began with one powerful commitment: learning to truly understand myself. Over time, I’ve made it a priority to explore and honor my own needs, desires, boundaries, and beliefs. I’ve come to know my heart, my mind, my body, and my spirit deeply , and from that foundation, my ability to communicate effectively began to flourish. Read More>>

Liana Kangas

Having a lot of different jobs and collaborators over the years has given me a toolset for my job that is extremely invaluable. I used to work in marketing and outreach before comics, as well as retail, food service and other jobs that gave me an upper hand at problem solving, customer relationships and bringing the general vibe up! Read More>>

Doug Thompson

I like to talk a lot. I was always bringing home report cards with negative marks for talking too much in class. During my early career I was a copier repairman. Often times customer would ask what the problem was and at first, I tried the technical explanation which often resulted in a lot of strange looks from customers not to mention a little exasperation. Over time I learned to explain things through metaphors and analogies. Read More>>

David Swihart

When I went to college, I wanted to work with teenagers in formal youth ministry. I had a rough teenage experience caused by bullying and peer rejection. As a result I had low self-esteem and no confidence in myself. I hated speaking and dreaded any time I had to get in front of a crowd. After being rejected for half a dozen youth ministry positions, I tried preaching and quickly found a small church in rural Illinois where I spoke every week. Looking back at those early speeches and sermons, they were rough to say the   least! I was nervous, underprepared, and did not have a lot of life experience to share. Read More>>

Michael George

It’s truly amazing how events from childhood can shape the path of your life’s journey. For me, growing up in small towns across West Virginia was probably a fairly common experience for most kids my age. The only major difference was that I was constantly changing schools.

Later in life, I used to joke with my dad that we were always on the run from the law—that’s why we moved so often. Of course, that wasn’t the case. The truth was my father, a decorated Vietnam veteran, struggled with the invisible scars of war. Staying in one place was mentally difficult for him, and as a result, I attended a different school nearly every year. Read More>>

Chelsea McClure

Ever since I was a child, I’ve taken pride in my ability to communicate. I always believed that saying exactly what was on my mind would be enough for others to understand me. Over time, however, I learned that communication is not just about what you say—it’s how you say it. Truly effective communication requires understanding your audience and adapting your message in a way that resonates with them. Read More>>

La Keisha Johnson

I remember the day I realized something was going on with my daughter.
She would come home from school, sit at the kitchen table to do her homework, pencil in hand and just stare at the paper. Minutes would pass. Nothing. I’d ask, “What are you doing?”
She’d look up at me, eyes wide and confused, almost in tears and sometimes all tears, and she’d say, “I don’t know. I don’t know how to do this.” Read More>>

Lexi Bakri

In my training as a counselor, I took many courses on communication and these included lots of practice in seeing where the person you’re speaking to is at emotionally in order to adjust the way you communicate to them. There is actually a specific scale of human emotions with descriptions of each level. Learning about emotions and how they present is important in getting your communication across. As an example, if you’re crying and someone came to you and spoke to you with enthusiasm you probably wouldn’t respond to their communication.  Read More>>

Nicole Vreeland

My education in effective communication began before I fully understood what that even meant. When I was a kid, my father led formal weekly family discussions delving into everything from deep listening to conflict resolution. What at the time felt like a chore planted the seeds of a lifelong fascination with human connection, people’s journeys, and discovering what lies beneath words. Read More>>