After three service agreements and nine cell phones in our house at one time, I've closed out two agreements and backed it down to three working cell phones in our family. I left one company, then signed onto a third agreement before returning everything to the second company, keeping the third and final agreement - with Cingular. Did you keep up with all that? Neither did I. My forehead is black and blue from banging my head the past few days.
Ultimately, my excitement over the final cell phone isn't even the fact that it's a Motorola RAZR V3. No, my excitement is over the Bluetooth device I picked up to do hands-free, wire-free wireless cell phone calling (nope, it doesn't take much to excite me). Unfortunately, my source of excitement became my greatest source of frustration today. Several times today.
Bottom line: I could hear my callers with sharp clarity in my new phone toy. But, they could not hear me - at all. Which means I wasn't the only one frustrated. Everyone on my phone today was frustrated. My ring said I was on. My open line said I was available. But, my message wasn't getting out. My out-going communication was not heard - no matter how hard I tried, how loudly I yelled, how new and wonderful my technology. Nobody heard.
And in the end. If my audience doesn't hear what I'm saying - it's always my fault. It's up to me to make sure my message is understandable, relate-able and applicable to my audience.
What's keeping people from hearing your message?
- cluttered systems?
- poor technology?
- irrelevant message?
- too many messages?
- tiring approach?
- care so much about your message that you can't hear the people you hope will hear it?