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.
Andrés Mejia Plazas
As a non-native English speaker, I’m always learning, adapting and trying to expand my vocabulary. Being a director is 100% reliant on communicating effectively to the actors, producers, and every creative in the room so that everyone understands what the vision for a certain project is and have everyone be on the same page. It doesn’t mean that there is no dialogue or discussion of creative differences, but it’s the collaboration what makes everything fall into place. It’s mainly practice, but has helped me develop the skill is reading criticism of other films, or filmmakers talk about their projects and how they explain their choices, or their admiration and choices for the projects they love and inspire them. Read more>>
Radha Home
One of the most terrifying things for me has always been speaking in public. I remember being a little girl in class and whispering answers I knew to the boy sitting next to me so that I wouldn’t have everyone turn to look at me. I spent my life working to overcome this. I read poetry on stage at an open mic and acted in countless plays in my theatre years in high school and college. Nothing could break me of my crippling stage fright. Read more>>
Kristin Wade
I attribute my communication skills to my time working as a nurse. I was a bedside nurse in the Newborn ICU (NICU) for 8 years. As you can imagine, it was a face-paced job. The first year was a huge learning curve. I worked in a teaching hospital, so there were many professions that provided multi-disciplinary care for our patients. In that environment, you have to get your point across quickly and effectively. In healthcare, we use a tool called the SBAR: situation, background, assessment and recommendation. I still use that same format when talking to clients and other professionals. Read more>>
Stephan Cote
Growing up, I didn’t have the typical start to becoming a communicator. I was born in the Boston area to French-speaking parents, and we later moved back to Canada when I was still a kid. Suddenly, I found myself navigating two languages—French and English—while also trying to fit into a new environment. As a naturally shy kid, I had to push myself to connect and feel understood. Read more>>
Jamaica Carter`
I learned to communicate through experience and other people. I used to be a very shy person so when conflict would occur I would avoid confrontation, but over the years it became very tiresome to bite my tongue and suppress my feelings for the comfort of others. I learned how to speak up as a person. I learned to speak clearly with my head up, pronouncing words correctly, and delivering my point efficiently with a respectful tone. I developed the ability to communicate effectively with myself, for others, for the things I want in life and even learned how to communicate effectively with God. Read more>>
Lou Rochdi
Growing up as a curious kid, I asked a lot of questions—and questioned authority even more. The one response I got over and over? “Because I said so.” Few took the time to explain why, and that created a lot of frustrations early on. As I got older, I noticed how many issues could be avoided or resolved with effective communication. The key word here is ‘effective’—knowing when and how to communicate is crucial. Timing, word choice, and tone can make or break the message. That’s why, as a young adult, I decided to prioritize communication in every relationship, whether personal or professional. Read more>>
Stephanie Cowell
I am a novelist and I write many drafts and revise endlessly to communicate effectively. Sometimes when I begin a book I don’t know what I want to communicate…writing the book makes it clearer. And as it gets clearer, I have to chose the scenes which will make it come alive for the reader. My husband once asked me, “Is this the 14th revision of the 10th draft, or the 10th revision of the 14th draft?” I sometimes feel like an ant scurrying over a vast forest and that it will take me forever to get to the other side. Read more>>
