I held hands at a concert with a blind man named Andrew. What happened next was hilarious.

Should I feel bad about that clickbait headline? Probably, but I stand by it.

I’d gone to the Ocean Alley concert on my own, at the wonderful Forum Theatre in Melbourne. I love going to gigs with friends or my brothers, but the solo outing does leave room for serendipitous encounters.

And so it was.

I’m so glad I got to experience the show with Andrew, a warm and friendly man with the courage to ask for what he wants. In this Fink Tank Col and I laugh about the cultural norms that were comedically broken that night.

Unspoken in this conversation are the gendered safety issues around this topic. Patriarchy and misogyny have a lot to answer for here.

I asked Andrew for consent for the photos, and to share the story.

And I won’t forget that night anytime soon!

If you’d like to hear Col’s ocker go-kart bogan accent circa 2009, head to 4:05.

George Bernard Shaw said “The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place”.

Regardless of what your job is, effective communication is critical. Being an influential, compelling communicator amplifies the value of almost every other skill you've got.

We discuss this idea at length, and by the end of this five-minute Fink Tank episode rather ironically reach the conclusion that until you can communicate your idea in 30 seconds, you should practise more.

Colin Ellis modelled great multi-channel communication in 2018. Special nod also to Chad Littlefield for being a great communicator and generous elevator of others.

If you want to be a great communicator, consider this motto:

“If everything is practice, nothing is wasted.”

In this episode we delve into Jehan Casinader's rule for growth from his excellent recent LinkedIn post.

Jehan says the only way to grow is to say yes to opportunities and try new things.

He’s definitely right, but we also don’t want to fail spectacularly!

We want to:

⚖ Push our boundaries AND respect our audience

🍾 Bring unrefined fizz AND remain professional

💪 Take opportunities AND protect our ego

We risk momentum if we bomb too many times. But waiting until you feel "ready" is a recipe for stagnation. So don't wait too long, and don't say no too often. Do the thing.

As Stephen Wright said beautifully "Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it!"

And if it goes wrong, as Jehan says, it was practice.Go you good things!Jehan's post: https://lnkd.in/g6nwDQSU