10/14/13

Do I Provide Value?


Why is it we have a hard time detailing the steps or directions of how to do something that comes so easy to us?

Case in point: Try describing in detail how you breathe. Ready? Go!

If your like me, you'd have to stop to think about how you breathe. Where do you begin to in describing a process that happens so naturally? 

Did you know a lot people are breathing incorrectly? I didn't know that either. I just assumed that my being alive meant that I had this breathing thing under control. Not so. Breathing experts train the public on how to breathe correctly. They make Youtube videos about it that people like Chuck Norris comment on. Breathing exercises populate the web.

Our communication habits are a lot like breathing. We do them instinctively which makes it that much harder for us to see how we are doing them incorrectly.

We can be lulled into thinking that our communication habits are fine since after all no one has died as a result of them. Right? But why live on just half breaths or shallow breaths when we can tap into the restorative power of full breath.


My goal on this blog is to make you aware that your communication habits, though they have sustained you thus far, might be limiting your growth.

Communication is not about being right or wrong. It is about a valuable free flow of exchange. Like breathing, there is a way to optimize that exchange so that everyone involved gets the most value out of the interaction. 

So how can you assess if your communication habits are providing value?  

1. Ask. 
Ask the people in your circle of influence if your communication habits are helping or hindering them. This is similar to checking in and helps builds rapport and mutual community of trust.

2. Observe. 
Observe responses. Look for what they are NOT saying as well as what they are saying. Look for the outcomes. When you said that statement with that tone of voice, what was the result? Did you physically see the person tune out or shut down?

So I am going to be practicing these techniques with you today.

I need to HEAR from YOU!

I was talking to a business coach the other day. She was asking me to describe the value that I add to my clients...not the services I offer but the value that I provide. In all transparency this was a tough question to answer, not because I didn't have an answer but because it was hard to put into words. 

Like the analogy of breathing, it is hard for me to describe the value of what I do because I just... do it...but that doesn't mean I am doing it the best way I can.

She asked me:


  • What do clients walk away with after having worked with me? 
  • What problem do I solve for my clients? 
  • What pain do I alleviate?


I have an answer to these questions but I need to hear from YOU. I am much more interested in your answer than the ones I come up with. 

I have worked with some of you directly. And for others of you, I have only had the pleasure of interacting with you on my blog. Either way, I'd like your feedback. Sooo I am asking...


What is the value that my coaching, training, or blog provides to you?

If you have worked with me one on one, help me identify the value my coaching or training has provided. To help you get started here a fill in the blank:


Julia's coaching or training helped me____________so I could________________ which resulted in ____________.

If you have been a regular reader of my blog, help me identify the value my blogging has provided. To help you get started here is your fill in the blank:


Julia's blog helps me__________________________ so I can___________________ which results in_____________.


Please take the time to comment. Go back to the home page and review the Popular Post section to refresh your memory. Answer in your own words... but I need you to answer. 


We all have to take sometime to assess our inherent abilities from time to time to see how we can improve. Let me know if and how I am providing value to your life. Thanks for it!



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