April of 1983, I was a junior in high school and I was running for President of the Student Body. My main reason for running for office was to creatively impact more people with the gospel. One month before the election, one of my favorite teachers asked to see me after class. Mr. Riley looked at me with care in his eyes and said, \u201cTodd, there has never been a black Student Body President in the history of Frankford High. I believe that will soon change.\u201d That was all the motivation I needed. <\/p>\n
I started preparing for the first speech of my life and I had seven minutes to prove why I would be a good candidate. I was told by my friends to just be me. I had no idea who I was as a speaker, but I was soon to find out how creative I was. I based my speech on Survivor\u2019s hit song, \u201cEye of The Tiger\u201d and used many phrases of the song throughout my speech. It was entitled \u201cFrankford Already Has The Eye of The Tiger\u201d I had 3 people hold 3 signs for my main points. (FKD is short for Frankford.) The main points were:<\/p>\n
Fight hard to assure all grades will have input into future changes
\nKnow that I deeply care about each student and will listen to your concerns
\nDetermined to fulfill all my promises to this remarkable school<\/p>\n
After weeks of editing and memorizing I won by a landslide. But there was one story I never told anyone at school. This story was just as powerful as Mr. Riley\u2019s well-timed words. When I told friends at church to pray for me an elderly lady told me a story about a Bible college graduate who was a guest speaker. He was a 4.0 student who knew his theology and doctrine well. He walked up to the pulpit beaming with confidence and pride. When he opened his mouth his voiced cracked and he was quite loud in the beginning. Seeing the concerned looks on people\u2019s faces, he forgot where he was in his message and kept losing his place. The audience went from concern to pity. His 30-minute message turned into a 15-minute disaster. He bowed his head in shame, walked off the platform and sat down in the front row. After the service, this wise elderly lady said to him, \u201cYoung man, if you would have gone up like you came down, you would have come down like you went up.\u201d That story motivated me to prepare well in all areas and I still think about it when I speak. <\/p>\n
As I prepared my speech, I spoke with over 2,000 students asking them what they wanted in a president. I had no idea according to Treasure\u2019s book, How to be Heard, that \u201clistening promotes intimacy.\u201d [1]. I also had no idea I was helping people \u201cto feel heard, understood, and valued.\u201d [2]. After my speech, I was convinced I had a gift, but I also knew I had a lot to learn.<\/p>\n
How to be Heard identifies proven ways to become a powerful speaker, the kind that commands people\u2019s attention and keeps them hanging on every word. These proven ways can help improve both communication skills and our most important relationships. It is a book about how sound, speaking, and listening influence our lives, both positively and negatively. Reading this book was just like reading a deep book on how to connect as a psychotherapist. Therefore, this week, I actually became a better listener of sound. <\/p>\n
My Life-coach suggested that since I am a photographer that I begin a photo journal. This has been one of the best ideas of my life because now I use my own pictures of people, places, and nature to draw me closer to God. One of Treasure\u2019s Seven Listening Practices is, Savouring. \u201cThere are great benefits to treating your hearing like your sense of taste and smell, becoming discerning about what you experience and seeking out enjoyable sensory encounters.\u201d [3]. <\/p>\n
Earlier in the week, I sat by a stream and took a picture of it. I listened to the sounds of the water, wind, birds, and small branches falling into the water. I smelled the bark of trees, leaves, and the stream. It was beautiful to connect with the Lord through his creation. Once I got home to print out the picture and tape it in my journal, I focused deeply on the picture and went back to the stream to journal. The water was moving very slow, but I could hear it. I never heard it before but now my ears were more attentive. I savoured every moment. \u201cYou may be surprised how many sounds there are that you never noticed before.\u201d [4]. Noticing those \u201cnew\u201d sounds became a holy moment. <\/p>\n
When I reminisce about what happened 40 years ago this month, I took a risk as a new speaker and black student and found out how creative I was. Forty years later, I\u2019m learning how to improve as a speaker and listener and by listening to my Life-coach, he drew out more creativity to enhance and deepen my walk with the Father. This book has made me a deeper listener of the world around me, especially with people. <\/p>\n
[1] Julian Treasure, How to be Heard: Secrets for Powerful Speaking and Listening (Coral Gables, FL: Mango Publishing Group, 2017, 38.<\/p>\n
[2] Ibid, 38.<\/p>\n
[3] Ibid, 142.<\/p>\n
[4] Ibid, 144.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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