[Image by Gerd Altmann of Pixabay]
CURIOSITY—surprised? Maybe you believe you already are curious, but are you? Curiosity is the key driving force behind our motivation to learn and experience new information. Being curious is what creates a growth mindset and helps us to be more successful.
We all have experience with something not turning out as we had planned, which can be frustrating to say the least. Our inclination at that point is to ask “Why“? This common behavior is rather limiting. An alternative is to ask “What can be learned from this?” This replacement question draws us toward a new or different perspective and increases our ability to be creative. By doing this, it encourages us to direct our attention differently. We’re placing our energy on the solution as opposed to the problem, itself.
It helps a great deal to be reflective for a specific event, an entire day, or an entire month. Ask yourself questions such as: How prepared was I? How well did I know my target audience? What did I do right? You can certainly add to this list but you get the idea. Albert Einstein said “The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing. In addition to the value of asking questions, it’s essential to truly listen, practice change, and explore.
As a public speaker, strive to create curiosity in your listeners. Think about your opening, closing, gestures, and tone of voice. Be spending your time in these aspects of public speaking you will increase your listener’s level of engagement. Avoid spoon-feeding your audience and give them an appetite to learn from you and also from one another. My experience has always been that those to whom I’m speaking want a chance to have their voices heard! That increases curiosity…
If you have questions about this topic or want to share some of your ideas on curiosity, please feel free to contact me. Can’t wait to hear from you!