Why you should experiment with your communication and how to do it

Isn’t it odd how try something new can make us feel so unsettled?

This goes for our online lives as well. Someone attending one of my workshops told me: 

“I am completely lost with social media. People say I should use a call to action, but can I use more than one? Will that be confusing?”

You should experiment with your communication 

Social media, like any other form of communication, is not an absolute science. We try, we fail, we learn, and start the cycle again. But until we actually attempt to do something new, we’ll never know what works for us. 

Ultimately, the two things to focus on when you are questioning whether you should experiment or not are: 

1. What works for you 
2. What works for your audience

You can translate what works for you with what represents you. And what works for your audience is what gives them value and create a conversation. 

And the two are different for everyone. Which is why you should refrain from applying any tip blindly and without personalisation.

I read an insightful book on how to “read” people and understand their body language. One thing that they said was that smiles are more attractive to people and can help to connect during networking events. Now, do I go around and smile at random people all the time? Not really, it is not my style. But I remember about this when I film a video or an interview and use it as a reminder to share the happiness I feel when helping others. 

Experimenting with your communication means knowing what the suggestions are and apply them in a personalised way. Otherwise, you’ll be like Julia Roberts in the Runaway Bride: shaping yourself based on whoever is next to you. 

Do you, because you already are pretty awesome! 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqyGc7-UEj4

How to Experiment in Your Communication 

And now you’re thinking, “This is all charming but how do I actually experiment?”

Let’s start by saying that communication obviously covers so many aspects: it can be how you share your being with your clothes, it can be your writing, how you move during a presentation, the video you film, the social media post you share… and for each of them, there are infinite combinations, numberless ways of doing things. However, in order to experiment with your communication, you need to: 

1. Let go of the fear of judgment – I know, it’s easier said than done. But ask yourself “what’s the worst thing that can happen?” Is the answer really that bad? 
2. Give yourself permission to dream – it’s OK to wander off with your fantasy and dreams of how you’d like to do things in an ideal world. It will help you to get closer to where you actually want to be 
3. Take notes of other people inspiring approach – it doesn’t have to be literally written but you can keep in mind what you liked and why you liked so that you can personalise it for you 
4. Apply principles of unrelated fields – the book I’m writing, in its style, is actually inspired by TV series 
5. Do the thinking on the go – being able to experiment sometimes means being able to be creative and our brains work better when relaxed, so don’t sit and wait for the creation to come. Go outside, visit a museum, talk to a stranger. The idea will come when you are least expecting it. 
6. Fail – is it really failure though? Or is it just a free lesson? I know that he might not feel good at the moment (and that’s OK), but in retrospective, you’ll have learned a great lesson  

Isn’t it odd how trying something new can make us feel unsettled? Yet, the results of going through with it can be revelatory.