Toastmaster Speech 10 - Zombies, Karma & Mindfulness

Continuing my focus on communication as a key foundation skill for life helping just about everything, from relationships, promotions, to letting some of that pent up emotions out, I wanted to expand on learning and why it is important.

I finished my Competent Communication Speech Manual today. It took me about 9 months to complete 10 speeches, unfortunately my IPad did not catch the recording bummer!, it must be because I put the volume down to zero.  I reworked the blog I did called Zombies, Karma & Mindfulness, with a much greater focus on the structure and the speech, I used the content framework (Ramp, 3 Points of Discussion, Desert)  from the book “As We Speak” in the Guruhabit Bookshelf, a highly recommended book. Some of the feedback to incorporate for future, is more use of humor and making use of more examples that the audience could relate to. I really learnt a lot about public speaking.  The Competent Communication manual has got much of the foundation of all great speakers, all the rest of the advanced modules build on the core techniques in here.

However learning any skill is not complete unless you can do integrate it into all aspects of your life.  What use is communicating, if you can’t talk about the important issues at hand with anyone, what use is meditation if it does not give you a softer yet assertive approach, what use is it in speaking if you can’t truly listen? 

They say that learning goes through 4 stages in a life cycle, first we don’t know that we don’t know, then we know that we don’t know, then we know that we know, then we don’t know that we know

Learning is really critical to keeping you sharp and focused in life, over time with stress our natural curiosity fades, we become more zombie-like, synapses (connections) in our brain die, unless we pursue an active learning path we pretty much fade away to mediocrity more like a vegetable.  I don’t know about you but I don’t want to be like that!

“We are born into genius but resigned into mediocrity” Robin Sharma

 

“When one teaches two learns” Robert Heinlein

 

Learning is also directly tied to progress, what separates the person in the street to the person in high profile role is hugely influenced by formal and informal education.

“To double your income, triple your rate of learning” Robin Sharma

 

I hope this blog gave some motivation for learning, and why it is important for your own success and happiness.

Peace,

 

Kirpal