Five Ways of Connecting Through Communication

by Liz Jansen

Enjoy this excerpt from Life Lessons from Motorcycles, 75 Tips for Connecting Through Communication. Download the entire ebook for free.

These five principles form the groundwork for communicating effectively with others. If these are in place, the tips that follow fall into place more easily and make connecting with others that much simpler.

1. Be authentic. A motorcycle is very definite about what it is and what its role is. You are one of a kind, and the only one who carries your message. Others can sense when you’re speaking from your heart, and will relate to who you are, rather than who you are trying to emulate.
2. Communicate with certainty. There’s little room for error when you’re riding a motorcycle. Riding skills are only the beginning. You need to ride and make decisions with confidence in order for others on the road to take you seriously.
3. Articulate clearly. The clearer you can be with your communications, the less room there is for misinterpretation and misunderstanding. On the road, misunderstandings can have devastating consequences. In life, the outcomes of misunderstandings range from minor glitches to major blow-ups.
4. Manage fear. Fear is healthy in that it keeps your senses alert. But when it makes you hold back or make the wrong decision, fear itself can put you in danger.
5. Check your mirrors. On a motorcycle, mirror checks add additional information you can use to keep you safe. In life, others are your mirrors, and, through their feedback, they provide information that keeps you on track. For more on using your mirrors, read Life Lessons for Motorcycles—75 Messages for the Face in the Mirror.

The immediacy and potential severity of the outcome when you misinterpret or ignore signs when you ride make your motorcycle an excellent teacher of effective communication skills—skills that help you connect with other people as well.

Learn the life lessons of connecting throughout communication and enrich your life.