Potential

One of the reasons so many of us admire professional athletes is because we see men and women who are living up to their potential. They are among the best in the world at what they do because they have trained hard and long for years. They have dedicated their lives to achieving excellence at their particular sport. This great commitment gives us enjoyment and often brings the athletes much reward. We watch a runner dash down the track, a tennis player return a blistering serve or a bowler consistently break 220 and we marvel at their skill. As we cheer them on and applaud their achievements, how many of us reflect on our own lives and wonder if we could be as good as they are in our field or profession had we tried as hard as those athletes?

It is not my intent here to suggest most of us do not work as hard as professional athletes or that just because we have not received their fame and fortune we are less important or successful. I do not believe that at all. What I do believe is that in the field of communication all of us have the potential to be as good as any professional athlete. But as it is in athletics, it takes commitment, hard work, dedication, perseverance and a never-ending belief in our ourselves. Communication has its own set of fundamentals much like all sports. These fundamentals range from developing solid listening skills to accumulating a deep depth of knowledge on ways to reach out to various audiences. No matter the communication challenge, the skill set required to meet it never varies. Just as it is in any sport, the trick is to master the required fundamentals and then be able to utilize them with a high level of consistency.

All of us are born with the ability to communicate. Thus, we all have the potential to develop that ability and become top-notch at that particular act. Does that mean if we work hard enough we should be able to stand in front of thousands of people and give a rousing speech? Does we mean if we work hard enough, then all of us should be able to write a great novel every time we set pen to paper? No. Thinking more realitically, with effort and commitmenet we have it within us to learn how to connect with another person in a respectful and lasting manner. We have the potential to help others recognize common interests and challenges. We have the potential to bring people together. We have the potential to help create harmony. Being a positive and effective communication is a skill within all of us. And it is achievable. It is just a matter of reaching that potential.