Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Austin Wolff. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Austin, thanks for sitting with us today to chat about topics that are relevant to so many. One of those topics is communication skills, because we live in an age where our ability to communicate effectively can be like a superpower. Can you share how you developed your ability to communicate well?
I was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome when I was eight years old. I couldn’t look people in the eye, I couldn’t read people’s emotions, and I had enormous difficulty holding any conversation that didn’t have to do with my special interests (math and Pokemon). It’s no exaggeration to say I started life with handicapped communication skills.
So how did I go from that to becoming an effective salesman, and eventually, an award-winning actor who’s now starring as the lead in the upcoming “Wally Jackson” movie? The answer is three-fold.
The first way I developed my communication skills (from a handicapped communicator to an average communicator) was through acting. I was introduced to it a few years after my diagnosis, and it was fun to pretend to be other people. But most importantly, through acting classes, I was forced to learn what faces people made when they felt a certain emotion. This is something some people on the spectrum have trouble with, but I now believe this to be a learnable skill.
In addition, in every scene I acted in, I played a “neurotypical,” someone who wasn’t on the spectrum and could communicate “normally” with other people. I had the unique opportunity to learn how non-autistic people communicated with one another, and through sheer repetition I improved at this skill.
After years of this, I was no longer “socially handicapped.” Now I was on the same playing field as everyone else: an average communicator.
The second way I developed my communication skills (from average to good) was through an intense desire to find love. When I was a teenager, that’s all I wanted. So I went online and researched how people flirt with each other. I would go to crowded spots and force myself to make eye contact and say hi to strangers. I learned about “ice breakers” to ask people when getting to know them, such as asking what their favorite movie was. I also learned about things people do when they like you, such as showing more positive body language (when their body faces yours directly).
This intense desire to find love eventually led me to write the upcoming feature film, “Wally Jackson and the Probability of Love and Car Accidents.” It’s about a young man on the spectrum who tries using math to find love. And naturally, I’m playing the lead!
The third way I developed my communication skills (from good to great) was through sales training. I’ve always heard that learning how to sell was one of the best things you could do for self-improvement, and it seemed like the holy grail skill for someone like me to learn. I read “How to Win Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie, which taught simple yet effective lessons such as learning and using someone’s name, asking people about themselves and actually being interested, and so on. I also listened to self-help tapes specifically around sales techniques, which weren’t too different from everything I’d already learned about communication. I eventually got a sales job, and 7 months later I ended up breaking a record at the company.
In conclusion, there wasn’t just one thing that made me an effective communicator. More than anything, it was the intense desire to fit in, find love, and be the best I possibly could be that led me on this grand journey of communication.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I’m currently starring in the upcoming movie, “Wally Jackson and the Probability of Love and Car Accidents,” written by me and directed by Taylor Foster.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
The three qualities that have been most impactful on my journey have been curiosity, ambition, and empathy. Keep an open mind, have enormous goals that scare you, and treat others the way you’d want to be treated!
What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?
I am currently producing a feature film that I wrote and am starring in. I could say the biggest singular challenge is raising money or building our team or giving an amazing acting performance, but truthfully, our goal is to make the best movie we possibly can. Within that are hundreds of tiny obstacles we have had to overcome every single day. The only way to keep pushing through this enormous resistance (while keeping our sanity) is to focus on the potential upside. We are all trying to make an incredible movie (and personally, I’d love to make back my life savings I’ve invested into this project), and I believe fully that as long as we are keeping the potential risks and liabilities in check, it’s incredibly energizing and powerful to focus on the big goal.
Contact Info:
- Website: WallyJackson.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wallyjacksonmovie
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@WallyJacksonMovie
- Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wallyjacksonmovie
