Bold Expression in Service of…
“Art is choosing to do something skillfully,
caring about the details,
bringing all of yourself
to make the finest work you can.
It is beyond ego, vanity, self-glorification,
and need for approval.”
Last week I wrote about “expression service of…” This week I am giving a few examples of how communicating “in service of” invites a bold and strong presence because our sense of purpose, our intention, is connected to something bigger than ourselves. We might mistakenly assume that if we are communicating “in the service of,” rather than to gain recognition and renown, our own presence will be dulled, muted, hidden. Not at all! In fact, the communication in service of the bigger message allows for a freedom and strength that is wildly compelling.
What does this look like?
We are neither dominating, nor hiding.
We speak up when we have something to add and listen and support when we don’t.
We own the stage during a keynote, making sure we can be seen, heard, understood and inhabit the talk completely because we are there for the audience.
We move easily in conversation between building on ideas, adding new content, and taking in what others offer.
We voice our ideas and are also open to others’ ideas.
We move easily between the many roles we play, from leader to team member, from expert to novice, from parent to partner.
And when called upon to lead, to give a talk, to speak up, to represent the company or the community, we do it fully.
I’ve been listening to the new Pulitzer Prize winning book by Barbara Kingsolver, Demon Copperhead. Normally, audiobooks begin with the reader introducing the book and saying, “read by…” In this book, Charlie Thurston states that the book is “performed by Charlie Thurston.” This caught my ear.
Charlie Thurston’s performance of this extraordinary book is a perfect example of communication in service of something bigger—in this case, the text. His rendering of the story is heartbreaking, completely committed to the language and world of the book, and he inhabits the character so fully that it’s hard to imagine he is an actor and not this person. This is the best example I have to illustrate the idea of expression in service of something bigger that invites a bold fearlessness into our communication.
Listen here.